Court adjourns Asutifi South injunction case

Sunyani, Jan. 19, GNA - A high court in Sunyani on Monday adjourned indefinitely the case in which Mr. Yiadom Boakye-Boateng, New Patriotic Party Parliamentary candidate for Asutifi South constituency has filed a motion of notice for interim injunction for the re-collation of the Parliamentary results in the constituency.

This followed a motion of stay of proceedings filed by the Electoral Commission (EC) at the Appeals court in Accra. Mr. Justice Francis K. Opoku, Supervising High Court Judge explained the case could not be heard because the EC filed the motion without fixing a date indicating when the case should commence.

He asked the two candidates of the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party to explain to their supporters and sympathizers that the case had not been adjourned out of his own will. "The case has not begun so nobody should come to the court with the expectation that there is going to be judgment", Justice Opoku added.

The Supervising High Court Judge appealed to the two parties involved to co-operate in the interest of the people of Asutifi and get somebody to represent them in Parliament.

The Parliamentary results of the constituency came under serious public scrutiny when Mr. Boakye-Boateng claimed the signatory to the declaration form did not belong to the NPP agent and also doubted the authenticity of the results at the Twabidi Number One polling station. The NPP candidate further alleged that the ballot boxes "found their way" to Kenyasi instead of Hwidiem, which was the collation centre and expressed the fear that the boxes had been tampered with. There was heavy armed police presence at the court premises to ensure peace and vehicles carrying supporters of both parties were not allowed to enter the premises.

In another development the case filed by Mr. Joe Danquah, former MP for Tain constituency restraining the elected NDC MP, Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim from holding himself as MP in the constituency was adjourned till Jan 26 2009.